Arianna Huffington and DJ Khaled pose on the red carpet. The dinner is Washington's annual opportunity to pretend it's hip. Reporters mingle with Hollywood stars, top sports figures, business leaders, administration officials and lawmakers who normally avoid the press.

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Photos:White House Correspondents' Dinner red carpet

Actors Scott Foley and Marika Dominczyk. The night is laced with humor and an address by the president. "It's a good thing for Washington to take itself down a peg for a night," said chief White House speechwriter Cody Keenan, who oversees the three-week-long process of putting the speech together. "There's nobody in America who would say 'hey, these politicians are poking fun at each other too much.' Because there's so much to make fun of!"

On the first lady

On the President's graying hair

"And let me just say, Mr. President, the office has taken its toll on you. You look terrible, Mr. President. Your hair is so white, it tried to punch me at a (Donald) Trump rally. The President's hair is so white it keeps saying 'All lives matter.'"

On being the first black president

"I don't know when we'll get a black president again. They won't even let Morgan Freeman play president in movies."